New report warns of $14.6 billion ocean protection shortfall – but highlights trillion-dollar opportunity
Just $1.2 billion currently flows to marine protection annually - yet investing $15.8 billion per year could unlock $85 billion in annual returns and avoided costs by 2050.
Progress on marine protection globally is dangerously off pace, while the percentage of the world’s ocean that is effectively protected has declined.
NICE, FRANCE – As world leaders prepare to gather at the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice next week, a major new report warns that global marine protection efforts are critically underfunded - threatening ocean health, livelihoods, food security and global prosperity.
The Ocean Protection Gap: Assessing Progress toward the 30x30 Target, launched today by a consortium of nature NGOs and funders, reveals that just $1.2 billion a year currently flows to ocean protection efforts - a fraction of the $15.8 billion needed annually to deliver the world’s most ambitious conservation target: protecting and conserving at least 30% of the ocean by 2030. That shortfall represents just ~0.5% of annual global defence budgets.
Alarmingly, progress on marine protection globally is too slow and at risk of stalling. Only 8.6% of the ocean is reported as protected, and just 2.7% is assessed and found to be effectively protected - meaning there are regulations and active management in place to ensure minimal or no damaging activities - with the latter a decline from last year.
The flagship report - authored by Systemiq and produced in partnership with the Bloomberg Ocean Fund, SkyTruth, Marine Conservation Institute, Campaign for Nature, WWF International and RISE UP in association with the Together for the Ocean campaign - introduces a new framework to assess the global shortfall in ocean protection, breaking it into three component gaps: finance, ambition and implementation.
The findings are clear: the world is falling dangerously short on delivering 30x30 - closing these gaps is not only vital to ocean health, it’s an economic imperative critical to long-term climate resilience and food security. Protecting 30% of the ocean could unlock around $85 billion per year by 2050 in avoided costs and annual returns from just three key benefits alone: preserving natural coastal defences, avoiding carbon emissions from seagrass loss, and restoring overexploited fisheries.
Brianna Fruean, Pacific climate leader and Together for the Ocean Ambassador, stated:
“For many of us, the ocean is identity, culture, and home. We cannot afford promises that remain on paper while our coral reefs bleach, our fisheries decline, and our coastlines wash away. We need real protection, now - and we need investment that empowers communities on the frontlines of change.”
Closing the finance gap
The report emphasizes the urgent need for high income countries to deliver on their promise to deliver $30 billion a year in international biodiversity finance to developing countries by 2030. It also shows that meeting the financing needed to protect 30% of the ocean would only cost nearly $15.8 billion annually - just two-thirds of what the world spends on harmful fishing subsidies. Yet just $1.2 billion is currently being spent, less than 10% of what’s needed. Repurposing fishing subsidies from just 10 countries could fully fund global ocean protection efforts. In addition, six proven financing tools - including blue bonds and debt-for-nature swaps - could unlock $18 billion in new capital. Countries like Belize, Indonesia and Barbados are already leading by example - now the rest of the world must step up.
Brian O’Donnell, Director of Campaign for Nature, which led on the finance gap analysis, commented:
“Protecting the ocean is no longer just an ecological imperative - it’s an economic one. For just $15.8 billion a year, we can protect one of our planet’s most valuable assets while avoiding costs and unlocking long-term returns in the tens of billions. Official Development Assistance (ODA) budgets, which represent government aid to support global development, are under significant pressure. As countries prioritize spending on initiatives that deliver clear benefits, investing in ocean protection offers a powerful opportunity to protect some of the most vulnerable communities in the world while also generating sustainable economic and social returns worldwide.”
The Implementation Gap: Falling behind and rolling back
The report warns that effective marine protection is not only lagging - it’s backsliding. In April 2025, the U.S. government rolled back fishing restrictions in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, a move that reduced global levels of fully and highly protected ocean area by 0.3% overnight - erasing critical progress.
Just two countries - Palau and the United Kingdom - have effectively protected more than 30% of their waters (although effectively protected areas in UK waters are overwhelmingly located in remote, overseas territories). High seas protection is further behind still: only 1.5% of the area beyond national jurisdiction is currently safeguarded. Fortunately, the BBNJ Agreement, commonly known as the High Seas Treaty, provides the world’s first legal framework to create Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the high seas. With 60 ratifications required for the treaty to enter into force this year, it is critical that countries that have yet to ratify move swiftly to complete this foundational step.
Beth Pike, Director of Marine Protection Atlas at Marine Conservation Institute, said:
“This is a pivotal moment to raise our ambition on ocean protection. We cannot afford further backsliding - the world must urgently close the gap between promises and real, effective action. The ocean is a shared global good, and the burden of protecting it must not fall disproportionately on the countries and communities most vulnerable to climate change and most dependent on a healthy marine environment.”
Ambition for people and nature: a turning tide at UNOC?
The adoption of national biodiversity plans and setting of clear national marine protection targets still remain off pace for meeting 30x30. Only a quarter of high-income coastal countries have set timebound 30x30 aligned targets for ocean conservation, despite having the greatest capacity to act. Without stronger leadership from these countries, global efforts risk stalling further.
The report sends a clear signal ahead of the upcoming UNOC: governments cannot afford to underinvest in ocean protection. The conference will be a critical opportunity to build momentum particularly around the ratification and effective implementation of the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement and progress towards a more comprehensive fisheries subsidies agreement, ratifying the High Seas Treaty, and promoting a science-based, inclusive and equitable approach to ocean protection.
“The Ocean Protection Gap report is a wake-up call,” said Pepe Clarke, Oceans Practice Leader at WWF International, which contributed to the analysis of the ambition gap. “We have the science, the tools, and a global agreement, but without bold political leadership and a rapid scaling of ambition, funding, and implementation, the promise of 30x30 will remain unfulfilled. Conserving 30% of our ocean by 2030 is not just a target — it’s a lifeline for communities, food security, biodiversity, and the global economy.”
UNOC must mark a decisive moment. The report urges countries and financial institutions to step up with five priority actions:
Recognize the value of the ocean by integrating it within national development strategies and economic plans, together with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Action Plans (NAPs) and National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs).
Act collaboratively with Indigenous Peoples and local communities, ensuring they are involved in marine protection efforts, recognizing and respecting their rights and knowledge.
Rapidly advance and ratify key international agreements like the BBNJ and WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreements to prohibit subsidies for overfishing, create legal frameworks for high seas biodiversity, and advance future high seas MPA proposals.
Adopt and deliver 30x30 targets that prioritize quality and effectiveness alongside quantity. Standardized data and transparent reporting on coverage and effectiveness will inform progress, boost accountability, and guide future action.
Scale tailored financing mechanisms - from debt swaps and subsidy reform to targeted public and philanthropic investment.
Jonathan Kelsey, Director of the Bloomberg Ocean Fund, commented:
"The ocean protection gap is alarming. At our current pace, we'll protect just a third of our global 30% goal by 2030. We need more meaningful protection, not paper parks. UNOC is a critical opportunity for governments to narrow this gap with concrete actions, including ending the allowance of destructive activities in marine protected areas and increasing financing that truly delivers on their ocean promises. We need to see bold action - healthy oceans sustain all life on Earth."
The report utilizes the latest data from the Marine Conservation Institute’s Marine Protection Atlas (MPAtlas) and from SkyTruth’s 30x30 Progress Tracker (which draws on data from MPAtlas, the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), ProtectedSeas, Global Fishing Watch and other sources), combined with case study research, scientific literature and expert interviews.
Sivaja Nair, Program Manager, RISE UP, stated:
“UNOC must close the gap on local leadership. Indigenous Peoples and local communities, who have safeguarded ocean ecosystems for generations, must be centered in decision-making and equitably share in the benefits of ocean protection.”
John Amos, Founder, SkyTruth, added:
"Transparency and accountability must drive the next wave of ocean protection. We need to scale up efforts to increase ocean monitoring tech and hold leaders and industries accountable. Without stronger, coordinated leadership and systematic, independent verification global progress will stall and the gap will only widen."
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